Electrical connectors of the lever-type are known and traditionally comprise a housing, a mate assist lever and a connector positioning assurance (CPA) member.
The mate assist lever is pivotally mounted to the housing. By actuating, i.e. rotating, the mate assist lever from an open to a closed position the connection between the electrical connector and a complementary mating connector is assisted. Typically, the electrical connector and the complementary mating connector operate through some form of cam groove/cam follower arrangement for drawing the complementary mating connector into mating condition with the electrical connector in response to rotation of the mate assist lever.
Also known is to use a CPA member that is slideably arranged on the housing for locking the mate assist lever in the closed position to the housing.
The above type of electrical connectors is delivered to the user in an inoperative condition. The mate assist lever is in the open position and the CPA member is in the inoperative position.
The complementary mating connector is brought in a pre-mate condition with respect to the electrical connector and subsequently the mate assist lever is actuated to the closed position such that it draws the complementary mating connector into mating condition with the electrical connector.
Subsequently the CPA member is actuated from the inoperative position to a locked position for locking the mate assist lever to the housing.
A drawback of this electrical connector is that when the electrical connector is in the inoperative condition, the CPA member may accidently slide into the locked position. This is undesirable, as the CPA member may now block the mate assist lever to be actuated from the open position to the closed position.
A further drawback is that when the mate assist lever is in the closed position, a locking force needed to slide the CPA member from the inoperative position to the locked position is equal to an unlock force needed to slide the CPA member from the locked position to the inoperative position. A user wants to lock the CPA member easily when the mate assist lever is in the correct closed position. However, the CPA member should not be easily unlocked when it's in the correct locked position.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.